Acidity of Regret Ch 77
- Jan 28
- 8 min read
[Vanessa] “What... what is the meaning of this?”
She stared at him, her face pale with shock. Only then did she remember the sensation of a hand gently stroking her hair while she slept. Unlike her, who was frozen in terror, the man before her remained perfectly composed. Looking at him, she began to piece together what had happened.
Memories from just before she fell asleep surfaced one by one. The tea the maid had brought in the Crown Prince’s name, and the heavy drowsiness that had overwhelmed her after only a few sips…
Looking back, there had been no proof that the tea had actually been sent by Hayden.
If that were the case, there was only one conclusion.
[Vanessa] “Did you... did you kidnap me?”
Everything, from the tea brought by the maid to this carriage racing toward an unknown destination, was his doing.
Did he plan this from the very beginning?
Was that why he let me go so easily when I walked away?
Was that glint in his eyes—the one that flashed like moonlight—a glimpse into the schemes brewing in his mind?
A sudden wave of nausea hit her, and she pressed a hand over her mouth.
[Vanessa] “What... what did you give me?”
[Declan] “It was a simple sedative. I would never give you anything that might harm you.”
Her brow furrowed at his misplaced tenderness. He spoke quite highly of himself for someone who had drugged her into unconsciousness.
[Declan] “You’re going to fall if you stay there. Come here, Vanessa.”
He gestured for her to move away from the edge of the seat, where she had retreated as far as possible. His attitude was far too calm for someone who had committed such an outrageous act.
She fiercely struck his reaching hand away and stood up. However, her stomach was still churning, and the carriage was swaying so violently that it was difficult to maintain her balance. She ended up leaning against the carriage wall for support.
[Vanessa] “Stop this carriage, right now!”
She screamed, unable to overcome the anxiety spreading through her body. Being trapped alone with him, traveling toward a destination she didn't know, was terrifying.
[Declan] “Sit down.”
Unlike her, who was visibly panicked, he remained seated with his legs crossed, perfectly at ease. When she continued to resist, he let out a sigh and added another remark.
[Declan] “The carriage will not be stopping. We are going all the way to the Duchy.”
At those words, her heart hammered against her ribs before sinking into her stomach. Her eyes, wide with disbelief, slowly turned back toward him.
The Duchy.
She held very vivid memories of that place.
To him, the master, it might have been warm and cozy; to her, it was a place more hellish than a tiger’s den or a crocodile’s swamp. It was a land of absolute solitude where everyone was cold to her, and not a single soul took her side.
Is he taking me back to that place?
[Vanessa] “Let me out.”
She couldn't. She wouldn't.
[Vanessa] “I said, let me out!”
As she grabbed the carriage door, trying to force it open, he wrapped his arms around her to stop her.
She fought desperately, and by the time she regained her senses, the two of them were tangled together on the floor of the carriage. She was forced down by his superior strength and glared at him with eyes filled with raw fury.
She looked as if she were on the verge of suffocating.
[Vanessa] “Are you... have you completely lost your mind?”
[Declan] “Are you only realizing that now?”
He leaned in until his face was inches from hers, looking entirely unbothered.
[Declan] “I would have to be utterly mad for you to do something like this.”
His voice, forced through gritted teeth, was heavy with an emotion that was difficult to fathom.
[Declan] “I never imagined a moment would come in my life where I would understand my father’s heart.”
[Vanessa] “…”
[Declan] “I think I finally understand why he clung to her so fiercely, even though he knew his feelings would never be returned.”
She shook her head, fighting back the tears that threatened to spill over. She knew she had to remain calm. Yet, her internal state mirrored the rattling carriage; she couldn't find her center. Her once-elegant features had long since collapsed into a mask of distress.
[Vanessa] “You said you loved me! You said you loved me even if I didn't believe you!”
The fact that the carriage was racing toward the Duchy, Declan confessing his madness—everything was horrific and revolting.
[Vanessa] “Is this... is this what you call love? Forcing me to go with you even when I say I don't want to?”
[Declan] “Yes.”
His voice was firm, without a shred of hesitation.
[Declan] “This is the only way I know how to love.”
Because this limit-breaking obsession is the only thing I grew up witnessing.
He believed this absurd act—this kidnapping—was an expression of his love. To him, ignoring her wishes and acting according to his own whims was simply the method he had chosen.
She felt her stomach turn even further.
As she pushed against his chest, her eyes distorted as if she were about to burst into tears. Her mouth was twisted so badly it was impossible to tell if she was laughing or crying.
If this was his love... if this was truly it...
[Vanessa] “Your love... it makes me want to vomit.”
Her voice, barely audible behind the hand she pressed to her lips, was trembling. She spoke with a sharp poison, intending to wound him.
However, contrary to her expectations, he didn't even flinch. It was proof that he had lost his mind to such an extent that even her targeted insults couldn't shake him.
Just then, the carriage jolted violently, and the curtains covering the window fluttered. A glimpse of the landscape outside became visible. It was only for a moment, but when she realized where they were, her entire body went cold.
She saw the grand gateway where a black flag billowed in the wind. It was the clearest, most undeniable evidence that they had crossed the border and were nearing the Duchy.
[Vanessa] “L-let me out. Declan! Move! Let me out, please...”
Even if one traveled without rest, it took at least three days to get from the Empire to the Duchy.
Have we already arrived? Have I been asleep for three days?
Her panic spiked. Every nerve and vessel in her body constricted with terror. Even now, the mere thought of the Duchy gave her nightmares; to her, it was the abyss. It was the place where she learned the truth about her father’s death, where Elliot died a hollow death, where her love was shattered, and where... she had finally taken her own life.
In a state of pure panic, she struggled against him, trying to push him aside and open the carriage door. But he blocked her every time.
[Vanessa] “No! Open it right—”
While the interior of the carriage became a chaotic mess of their scuffling, the rattling eventually subsided. The carriage came to a halt.
As the silence settled, a chilling shiver ran down her spine. A faint despair clouded her green eyes, which had not stopped trembling. Declan, of course, noticed the same thing she had.
[Vanessa] “No... no...”
He easily picked her up, who was resisting and refusing to get out. When she kicked and struggled violently, he frowned slightly and simply slung her over his shoulder.
[Vanessa] “Let me go! Put me down!”
The servants, who had received word and were lined up to greet the Grand Duke, were startled by the shrill scream that erupted the moment the carriage door opened. Their shock multiplied when they looked up.
Their master was carrying a woman like a piece of luggage.
Their eye darted back and forth at the unexpected sight. Even the butler, who was never flustered due to years of experience, looked bewildered and couldn't even manage a greeting.
Declan didn't care about their reactions and walked into the hall with long strides. Only when the servants finally regained their senses and followed him into the hall did he carefully set the woman down.
The moment her feet touched the ground, Vanessa slapped him across the face.
Smack!
The sound of the impact echoed as his sharp jaw was forced to the side. The servants standing at a distance gasped or covered their mouths in shock. To see their noble master, whom they couldn't even touch, get struck helplessly by a young lady was profoundly shocking.
Her chest heaved with ragged breaths, and her eyes were bloodshot.
[Vanessa] “You know... how much I loathe this place.”
Just standing here made her knees weak and sent a sharp ache through the back of her head. The memories of the contempt, the hardship, and the loneliness she had endured here were so wretched that her heart felt like it was being torn into rags.
It felt as though the sight of her slowly dying was repeating itself like it happened yesterday. That death didn't mean her life was ending; it was the death of her spirit, which had been worn down, chipped away, and eroded.
The feeling of dying in this place, not as Vanessa Rohawk, but as Vanessa Vinkart—like his pet, like a commoner who didn't belong here.
[Vanessa] “And yet, you still thought to bring me back here?”
The more she thought about it, the more her fury reached a boiling point.
He slowly turned his head back. His cheek was slightly swollen, and a sharp scratch from her fingernail was visible where she hadn't held back her strength. Yet, his expression barely changed, which only served to fuel her anger further.
[Vanessa] “I’m leaving. Get out of my way.”
She didn't want to look at a single inch of the Grand Duke’s castle. Vanessa, huffing with rage, kept her gaze fixed on the floor and turned around.
She began to walk toward the entrance, which was blocked by a crowd of servants. Through her vision, blurred by anger, she saw a pair of small feet, like those of a young girl.
She froze in her tracks. Her eyes, which had been stubbornly fixed downward, rose of their own accord. When she finally saw the person standing before her, her heart tightened.
[Vanessa] “...Sophie.”
Standing there was the maid who had helped her before her regression, the one who had nearly lost her life because of it.
Vivid images of Sophie—smiling brightly at her, then trembling at the sight of a gleaming sword—surfaced and blurred in her mind. Sophie was the ultimate reminder of the tragedy that had occurred here, pinning her to the spot.
After a moment of silence...
Declan approached, grabbed her wrist, and began dragging her toward the upper floors. She didn't even think to resist as she had before; she just stared blankly at Sophie.
Walking as if she were being dragged, without looking where she was going, she tripped on the stairs. He supported her firmly and reached the third floor with a swift movement.
Only after Sophie had completely vanished from sight did she regain her senses and start struggling to be released, but he acted as if he were deaf and ignored her.
A closed door opened, and she was swung inside by his grip. A moment later, she realized this was the most horrific place in the entire castle—the bedroom that had been nothing more than a cage to keep her imprisoned.
Having been dragged in, she was forced onto the bed.
A flash of a memory from the past surfaced. Her heart hammered; in the past, there was only one reason he would drag her to bed.
However, contrary to her expectations, he didn't climb over her. Instead, he knelt on the floor at her feet. She tried to kick him and get off the bed, but it was impossible because he had a firm grip on her ankle.
As she twisted her body to escape, a metallic clank grated unpleasantly against her ears. Then, she flinched at the sensation touching her ankle.
[Vanessa] “What... what is this...”
The sensation, cold enough to make her skin ache, was none other than a shackle.
Hey , when are u going to update again ?